U.S. patent number 10,134,309 [Application Number 15/790,143] was granted by the patent office on 2018-11-20 for decorative device.
This patent grant is currently assigned to FUJIFILM Corporation. The grantee listed for this patent is FUJIFILM Corporation. Invention is credited to Daisaku Abiru, Samito Nakamura, Hiromi Takenoshita.
United States Patent |
10,134,309 |
Nakamura , et al. |
November 20, 2018 |
Decorative device
Abstract
A decorative cover includes a lenticular lens sheet, an outer
frame, a connection point, and a plurality of LED chips. The outer
frame is fitted onto an outer periphery of a smartphone. The
lenticular lens sheet is integrated with the outer frame and covers
a rear surface of the smartphone. The plurality of LED chips is
arranged parallel to a longitudinal direction of cylindrical lenses
on a flat surface side of the lenticular lens sheet. A drive unit
changes a light emission state of each of the plurality of LED
chips. The drive unit is connected with a control unit of the
smartphone through a connection point and the connection point. The
drive unit changes the light emission state of each LED chip in
accordance with an operating state of the smartphone operated by
the control unit.
Inventors: |
Nakamura; Samito (Tokyo,
JP), Takenoshita; Hiromi (Tokyo, JP),
Abiru; Daisaku (Tokyo, JP) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
FUJIFILM Corporation |
Tokyo |
N/A |
JP |
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Assignee: |
FUJIFILM Corporation (Tokyo,
JP)
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Family
ID: |
57199696 |
Appl.
No.: |
15/790,143 |
Filed: |
October 23, 2017 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20180047318 A1 |
Feb 15, 2018 |
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Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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PCT/JP2016/061989 |
Apr 14, 2016 |
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Foreign Application Priority Data
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Apr 30, 2015 [JP] |
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2015-092622 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G02B
30/00 (20200101); G09F 13/0413 (20130101); G09F
13/04 (20130101); G09F 13/20 (20130101); G09F
19/12 (20130101); H04M 1/11 (20130101); A45C
11/00 (20130101); G09F 23/00 (20130101); G09F
2013/222 (20130101); A45C 2011/002 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H04M
1/02 (20060101); G09F 13/04 (20060101); A45C
11/00 (20060101); H04B 1/3888 (20150101); H04B
1/03 (20060101); G02B 27/22 (20180101); G09F
19/12 (20060101); H04M 1/11 (20060101); G09F
13/20 (20060101); G09F 23/00 (20060101); G09F
13/22 (20060101) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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2560351 |
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Feb 2013 |
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EP |
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2005-103877 |
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Apr 2005 |
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JP |
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2007-206659 |
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Aug 2007 |
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JP |
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2012-125466 |
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Jul 2012 |
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JP |
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3177624 |
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Aug 2012 |
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JP |
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3179842 |
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Nov 2012 |
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JP |
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2014-207245 |
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Oct 2014 |
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JP |
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2014/168496 |
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Oct 2014 |
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WO |
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Other References
International Search Report issued in PCT/JP2016/061989; dated Jun.
28, 2016. cited by applicant .
International Preliminary Report on Patentability issued in
PCT/JP2016/061989; dated Aug. 23, 2017. cited by applicant .
Extended European Search Report issued by the European Patent
Office dated May 2, 2018, which corresponds to EP16786314.1-1201
and is related to U.S. Appl. No. 15/790,143. cited by applicant
.
An Office Action mailed by the Japanese Patent Office dated Aug.
29, 2018, which corresponds to Japanese Patent No. 2017-515474 and
is related to U.S. Appl. No. 15/790,143. cited by
applicant.
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Primary Examiner: Wendell; Andrew
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Studebaker & Brackett PC
Parent Case Text
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a Continuation of PCT International Application
No. PCT/JP2016/061989 filed on Apr. 14, 2016, which claims priority
under 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 119(a) to Japanese Patent Application No.
2015-092622 filed on Apr. 30, 2015. The above application is hereby
expressly incorporated by reference, in its entirety, into the
present application.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A decorative device that decorates an operating device, the
decorative device comprising: a lenticular lens sheet in which a
plurality of cylindrical lenses having a convex shape is arranged
with a flat surface formed on an opposite side from the convex
shape; a plurality of light sources that is disposed on the flat
surface side, the plurality of light sources being arranged
parallel to a longitudinal direction of each cylindrical lens,
approximately from one side to the other side of the decorative
device; and a drive unit that changes a light emission state of the
light source in accordance with an operating state of the operating
device or information included in the operating device, wherein the
lenticular lens sheet is provided in plural number, and the
plurality of lenticular lens sheets is stacked, and wherein one
lenticular lens sheet is inclined with respect to another
lenticular lens sheet.
2. The decorative device according to claim 1, wherein the drive
unit changes a light emission pattern of the light source in
accordance with the operating state of the operating device or the
information included in the operating device.
3. A decorative device that decorates an operating device, the
decorative device comprising: a lenticular lens sheet in which a
plurality of cylindrical lenses having a convex shape is arranged
with a flat surface formed on an opposite side from the convex
shape; a plurality of light sources that is disposed on the flat
surface side, the plurality of light sources being arranged
parallel to a longitudinal direction of each cylindrical lens,
approximately from one side to the other side of the decorative
device; and a drive unit that changes a light emission state of the
light source in accordance with an operating state of the operating
device or information included in the operating device, wherein the
lenticular lens sheet is provided in plural number, and the
plurality of lenticular lens sheets is stacked, and wherein one
lenticular lens sheet is slidably disposed with respect to another
lenticular lens sheet.
4. A decorative device that decorates an operating device, the
decorative device comprising: a lenticular lens sheet in which a
plurality of cylindrical lenses having a convex shape is arranged
with a flat surface formed on an opposite side from the convex
shape; a plurality of light sources that is disposed on the flat
surface side, the plurality of light sources being arranged
parallel to a longitudinal direction of each cylindrical lens,
approximately from one side to the other side of the decorative
device; and a drive unit that changes a light emission state of the
light source in accordance with an operating state of the operating
device or information included in the operating device, wherein an
image formation layer on which a pattern is formed is disposed on
the flat surface side of one lenticular lens sheet.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a decorative device that decorates
the exterior of a smartphone or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
A decorative cover for decorating the exterior of a smartphone, a
tablet computer, or the like is known. For example, a decorative
cover disclosed in JP2012-125466A has an engaging unit that engages
with the outer periphery of a smartphone, a cover unit that is
integrated with the engaging unit, and a decorative component that
is disposed on the front surface of the cover unit and has a shape
of a pattern, a character, or the like. The decorative cover is
detachably attached to the smartphone. The cover unit is formed by
stacking sheet materials having different colors. The cover unit is
decorated by forming a cutout on the sheet material on the upper
surface side to expose the sheet material on the lower surface
side.
The decorative cover disclosed in JP2012-125466A has the decorative
component, the cutout formed on the cover portion, and the like as
elements decorating a smartphone. The elements may cause a finger
or the like to be caught and may hinder manipulation of the
smartphone. In recent years, a small light source such as a light
emitting diode (LED) has been widely used as a decorative element.
However, a light source such as an LED has a narrow range of light
emission. Thus, multiple light sources are required in order to
achieve highly decorative illumination light.
The applicant of the present invention conceives a decorative
device that achieves highly decorative illumination light safely
and with a small number of light sources without hindering
manipulation, thereby improving decorative quality.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a decorative
device that improves decorative quality safely and with highly
decorative illumination light.
A decorative device of the present invention is a decorative device
that decorates an operating device. The decorative device includes
a lenticular lens sheet, a light source, and a drive unit. A
cylindrical lens having a convex shape is arranged in plural number
in the lenticular lens sheet with a flat surface formed on an
opposite side from the convex shape. The light source is disposed
on the flat surface side. The drive unit changes a light emission
state of the light source in accordance with an operating state of
the operating device or information included in the operating
device.
It is preferable that the light source be provided in plural number
and that the plurality of light sources be arranged parallel to a
longitudinal direction of each cylindrical lens. It is preferable
that the lenticular lens sheet be provided in plural number and
that the plurality of lenticular lens sheets be stacked.
It is preferable that one lenticular lens sheet be inclined with
respect to another lenticular lens sheet. It is preferable that one
lenticular lens sheet be slidably disposed with respect to another
lenticular lens sheet.
It is preferable that the drive unit change a light emission
pattern of the light source in accordance with the operating state
of the operating device or the information included in the
operating device. It is preferable that an image formation layer on
which a pattern is formed be disposed on the flat surface side of
one lenticular lens sheet.
According to the present invention, a light source is disposed on a
flat surface side of a lenticular lens sheet in which a cylindrical
lens is arranged in plural number, and a light emission state is
changed in accordance with an operating state of an operating
device or information included in the operating device. Thus,
decorative quality can be improved safely and with highly
decorative illumination light without hindering manipulation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a smartphone equipped with a
decorative cover as a decorative device of the present
invention.
FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the smartphone equipped with
the decorative cover.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the decorative cover and the
smartphone.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a main portion including the
decorative cover and the smartphone.
FIG. 5 is a rear view illustrating a light emission state of the
decorative cover.
FIG. 6 is a rear view of a decorative cover of a second embodiment
in which a plurality of lenticular lens sheets is stacked.
FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a main portion including the
decorative cover of the second embodiment and the smartphone.
FIG. 8 is a rear view illustrating a light emission state of the
decorative cover of the second embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a rear view of a decorative cover of a third embodiment
in which an image formation layer is integrated with a lenticular
lens sheet.
FIG. 10 is a sectional view of a main portion including the
decorative cover of the third embodiment and the smartphone.
FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating an example in which the
present invention is applied to an illumination device.
FIG. 12 is a perspective view illustrating an example in which the
present invention is applied to an interior component of an
automobile.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
First Embodiment
A decorative cover 10 is illustrated in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 as one
example of a decorative device of the present invention. As
illustrated in FIG. 1, the decorative cover 10 is attached to a
smartphone 11 as an operating device to decorate the exterior of
the smartphone 11. The smartphone 11 has a display and input unit
12 on a front surface 11A. The display and input unit 12 is
manipulated with a finger or the like to provide a predetermined
instruction to a control unit 15 (refer to FIG. 4) in the
smartphone 11. A known touch panel display is used as the display
and input unit 12.
As illustrated in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, a camera module 13 is disposed
on a rear surface 11B side of the smartphone 11 where the
decorative cover 10 is attached. The camera module 13 is used to
image a still picture or a motion picture. The still picture or the
motion picture imaged by the camera module 13 is displayed on the
display and input unit 12. A power source switch 14 or the like is
disposed in the smartphone 11.
As illustrated in FIG. 4, the smartphone 11 includes the control
unit 15, a communication unit 16, a connection point 17, and the
like. The control unit 15 controls each unit of the smartphone 11
and executes various processes corresponding to an input
instruction in response to manipulation of the display and input
unit 12 or the like. The communication unit 16 communicates with a
base station of a telephone company.
The control unit 15 communicates with the base station through the
communication unit 16 in accordance with an input on the display
and input unit 12 or the like. A call can be made to another
telephone through a microphone and a speaker (not illustrated) that
are incorporated in the smartphone 11. The control unit 15 displays
a web page on the display and input unit 12 or sends and receives
mails by connecting to the Internet through the communication unit
16. The connection point 17 electrically connects the control unit
15 with the decorative cover 10 by being brought into contact with
a connection point 23 of the decorative cover 10 described
below.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, the decorative cover 10 includes a
lenticular lens sheet 21, an outer frame 22, the connection point
23, a plurality of LED chips 24, and a substrate 25. The outer
frame 22 is an oblong frame that is fitted onto the outer periphery
of the smartphone 11. A cutout 22a that exposes the power source
switch 14 is formed on the outer frame 22.
The lenticular lens sheet 21 is integrated with the outer frame 22.
The lenticular lens sheet 21 covers the rear surface 11B of the
smartphone 11 in a case where the outer frame 22 is fitted onto the
outer periphery of the smartphone 11.
The lenticular lens sheet 21 is configured with a plurality of
cylindrical lenses 26. Each cylindrical lens 26 has a
half-cylindrical convex shape 26A. The opposite side of each
cylindrical lens 26 from the convex shape 26A is flat. Each
cylindrical lens 26 stretches in a Y direction and is disposed
parallel to the adjacent cylindrical lenses 26. That is, the
cylindrical lenses 26 are disposed at constant pitches in an X
direction that is orthogonal with respect to the Y direction. The
lenticular lens sheet 21 has a flat surface 21A on the opposite
side thereof from the convex shape 26A.
A transparent resin material such as polyethylene terephthalate
(PET), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate
glycol-modified (PETG), polycarbonate, acryl, or acrylate-based
resin is used as the material of the lenticular lens sheet 21.
The substrate 25 is attached inside the outer frame 22 in a
position facing the flat surface 21A of the lenticular lens sheet
21. The LED chips 24 are disposed on the substrate 25 in plural
number as a light source of the decorative cover 10. The LED chips
24 are arranged parallel to the longitudinal direction of each
cylindrical lens 26 (Y direction) on the flat surface 21A side of
the lenticular lens sheet 21. The LED chips 24 are controlled to
emit light by a drive unit 27 that is disposed on the substrate 25.
The drive unit 27 is connected with the control unit 15 of the
smartphone 11 through the connection points 17 and 23. The drive
unit 27 changes a light emission state of each LED chip 24 in
accordance with an operating state of the smartphone 11 operated by
the control unit 15. The light emission state includes timings of
light emission and light non-emission, a light emission pattern,
and the like.
A red LED, a green LED, a blue LED, a white LED, or the like is
used as each LED chip 24. The plurality of LED chips 24 disposed on
the substrate 25 may exhibit the same color or may exhibit a
combination of a plurality of colors.
For example, dedicated application software is installed on the
smartphone 11 in the case of attaching the decorative cover 10 to
the smartphone 11. The smartphone 11 outputs a control signal from
the connection point 17 in accordance with the operating state
thereof by executing the application software.
The operating state of the smartphone 11 includes a calling state
of making a call to another telephone, a Net browsing state of
displaying a web page or the like on the display and input unit 12
by connecting to the Internet, a mail sending and receiving state
of sending and receiving mails, and the like. In each state, the
control unit 15 outputs a light emission control signal that causes
the LED chips 24 to emit light. The light emission control signal
controls the light emission pattern that causes each of the
plurality of LED chips 24 to emit light. The light emission pattern
is preferably different for each operating state.
The drive unit 27 receives the light emission control signal from
the smartphone 11 through the connection points 17 and 23. The
drive unit 27 places each LED chip 24 into the light emission state
or a light non-emission state based on the received light emission
control signal.
FIG. 5 illustrates a state where all of the LED chips 24 emit
light. Light that is emitted from each LED chip 24 is diffused in
the direction of arrangement of the cylindrical lenses 26 (X
direction) to have a line shape when passing through the lenticular
lens sheet 21. The light having a line shape is generated for each
LED chip 24 disposed parallel to the longitudinal direction of each
cylindrical lens 26 (Y direction) in the decorative cover 10. Thus,
highly decorative illumination light having fringes is achieved
across approximately the entire surface of the lenticular lens
sheet 21.
Each LED chip 24 is placed into the light emission state or the
light non-emission state based on the light emission control signal
in accordance with the operating state of the smartphone 11. Thus,
a user can recognize the operating state of the smartphone 11 by
the light emission pattern of the illumination light.
As described heretofore, the LED chips 24, the substrate 25, and
the like in the decorative cover 10 of the present invention are
covered with the lenticular lens sheet 21 and the outer frame 22
and do not cause a finger or the like to be caught. Thus, the
smartphone 11 can be safely manipulated. Furthermore, in a case
where the smartphone 11 is operated, each LED chip 24 in the
decorative cover 10 is placed into the light emission state or the
light non-emission state in accordance with the operating state of
the smartphone 11. Light having a line shape is emitted through the
lenticular lens sheet 21. Thus, highly decorative illumination
light is achieved, and the decorative quality of the smartphone 11
is improved.
While the embodiment changes the light emission pattern of each LED
chip 24 by the light emission control signal in accordance with the
operating state of the smartphone 11, the light emission pattern
may be changed in accordance with information included in the
smartphone 11. For example, the light emission pattern may be
changed in accordance with call or mail reception information
(indicates whether or not a call or a mail is received), remaining
battery capacity information, current time, meteorological
information such as weather and temperature, and the like.
Second Embodiment
While one lenticular lens sheet 21 is disposed in the decorative
cover 10 in the first embodiment, the present invention is not
limited thereto. It is also preferable to stack a plurality of
lenticular lens sheets.
In FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, a decorative cover 30 of a second embodiment
has a first lenticular lens sheet 31 and a second lenticular lens
sheet 32. The first lenticular lens sheet 31 and the second
lenticular lens sheet 32 are stacked. The first lenticular lens
sheet 31 is integrated with the outer frame 22 in the same manner
as the lenticular lens sheet 21 of the first embodiment. The first
lenticular lens sheet 31 covers the rear surface 11B of the
smartphone 11 in a case where the outer frame 22 is fitted onto the
outer periphery of the smartphone 11. An opening portion 31A that
exposes the camera module 13 is formed on the first lenticular lens
sheet 31.
The second lenticular lens sheet 32 has the same configuration as
the first lenticular lens sheet 31 except for being smaller than
the first lenticular lens sheet 31. The second lenticular lens
sheet 32 is attached between the first lenticular lens sheet 31 and
the substrate 25.
The first lenticular lens sheet 31 and the second lenticular lens
sheet 32 are bonded by a method of adhesion, gluing, or the like. A
material having light transmittance is used as a bond (an adhesive
or a gluing agent) that bonds the first lenticular lens sheet 31
and the second lenticular lens sheet 32, so that illumination light
can be observed through the first lenticular lens sheet 31 and the
second lenticular lens sheet 32.
The first lenticular lens sheet 31 and the second lenticular lens
sheet 32 are not disposed parallel to each other. That is, the
longitudinal direction of each cylindrical lens 26 of the second
lenticular lens sheet 32 (Y2 direction) has an inclination c with
respect to the longitudinal direction of each cylindrical lens 26
of the first lenticular lens sheet 31 (Y1 direction). The second
lenticular lens sheet 32 is inclined with respect to the first
lenticular lens sheet 31. Accordingly, illumination light emitted
from the LED chips 24 is diffused in different directions when
passing through the first lenticular lens sheet 31 and when passing
through the second lenticular lens sheet 32 respectively.
As illustrated in FIG. 8, light emitted from each LED chip 24 is
diffused in each of the direction of arrangement of the cylindrical
lenses 26 of the first lenticular lens sheet 31 (X1 direction) and
the direction of arrangement of the cylindrical lenses 26 of the
second lenticular lens sheet 32 (X2 direction), thereby forming
light having a shape of intersecting lines. That is, moire occurs
in the illumination light in accordance with the inclination
.alpha., and a special visual effect is achieved. Accordingly, the
present embodiment achieves more highly decorative illumination
light.
While the second lenticular lens sheet 32 is fixed by being bonded
to the first lenticular lens sheet 31 in the second embodiment, the
present invention is not limited thereto. The second lenticular
lens sheet 32 may be rotatably disposed, and a rotation mechanism
(not illustrated) that changes the inclination of the longitudinal
direction of each cylindrical lens 26 of the second lenticular lens
sheet 32 by rotating the second lenticular lens sheet 32 with
respect to the first lenticular lens sheet 31 may be disposed.
In this case, the drive unit 27 may operate the rotation mechanism
in accordance with the control signal of the smartphone 11 and may
rotate the second lenticular lens sheet 32 in accordance with the
operating state of the smartphone 11 or the information included in
the smartphone 11.
Third Embodiment
While the lenticular lens sheet is transparent in the first and
second embodiments, an image may be formed on the flat surface side
of the lenticular lens sheet.
An image formation layer 41 is integrated with the lenticular lens
sheet 21 in a decorative cover 40 of a third embodiment illustrated
in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10. The decorative cover 40 has the same
configuration as the decorative cover 10 of the first embodiment
except for having the image formation layer 41.
The image formation layer 41 is disposed on the flat surface 21A
side of the lenticular lens sheet 21. The image formation layer 41
is formed by directly printing or transferring an image to the flat
surface side 21A. In this case, the material of the image formation
layer 41 may be any light-transmitting material that can be closely
attached to the flat surface 21A of the lenticular lens sheet 21.
Known paint or the like is used as the material of the image
formation layer 41.
A pattern is formed on the image formation layer 41. A twill
pattern that is generated in the case of twilling carbon fiber is
formed as the pattern on the image formation layer 41 in the
present embodiment. When the LED chips 24 emit light, light having
a line shape is emitted through the lenticular lens sheet 21, and
the pattern formed on the image formation layer 41 appears in the
illumination light. Accordingly, the present embodiment achieves
more highly decorative illumination light.
While the image formation layer 41 is directly formed on the flat
surface 21A of the lenticular lens sheet 21 in the present
embodiment, the image formation layer 41 may be formed on an image
formation medium (not illustrated) that is a transparent resin
sheet, and then, the image formation medium may be bonded to the
lenticular lens sheet 21. In this case, a transparent material is
used as a bond (an adhesive or a gluing agent) that bonds the
lenticular lens sheet 21 and the image formation medium, so that
the image formation layer 41 can be observed through the lenticular
lens sheet 21.
Fourth Embodiment
Next, FIG. 11 illustrates an example in which the decorative device
of the present invention is applied to an illumination device 50.
The illumination device 50 includes a first lenticular lens sheet
51, a second lenticular lens sheet 52, a pedestal 53, a plurality
of light sources 54, and a drive unit 55 that changes a light
emission state of each light source 54. The image formation layer
41 in the third embodiment is disposed on the first lenticular lens
sheet 51 of the lenticular lens sheets 51 and 52.
The illumination device 50, for example, is attached to a desktop
computer as an operating device. The drive unit 55 is electrically
connected with a control unit of the computer. The drive unit 55
changes the light emission state of each light source 54 in
accordance with the operating state of the computer. The light
emission state includes timings of light emission and light
non-emission, a light emission pattern, and the like.
The first lenticular lens sheet 51 is curved in a cylindrical shape
with the convex shape 26A of each cylindrical lens 26 of the first
lenticular lens sheet 51 disposed on the outer circumferential
surface of the first lenticular lens sheet 51. The direction of the
curve is orthogonal with respect to the longitudinal direction of
each cylindrical lens 26 of the first lenticular lens sheet 51 (Y1
direction). The first lenticular lens sheet 51 is supported by the
pedestal 53.
The second lenticular lens sheet 52 is curved in a cylindrical
shape such that the inner circumferential surface of the second
lenticular lens sheet 52 surrounds the outer circumferential
surface of the first lenticular lens sheet 51. The longitudinal
direction of each cylindrical lens 26 of the first lenticular lens
sheet 51 is orthogonal with respect to the longitudinal direction
of each cylindrical lens 26 of the second lenticular lens sheet 52.
The longitudinal direction of each cylindrical lens 26 of the
second lenticular lens sheet 52 (Y2 direction) is orthogonal with
respect to the longitudinal direction of each cylindrical lens 26
of the first lenticular lens sheet 51 (Y1 direction).
Each light source 54 consists of, for example, an LED and is
supported by a pillar not illustrated. Each light source 54 is
disposed parallel to the longitudinal direction of each cylindrical
lens 26 of the first lenticular lens sheet 51 at predetermined
intervals in a cylindrical internal space formed by the first
lenticular lens sheet 51.
A red LED, a green LED, a blue LED, a white LED, or the like is
used as each light source 54. The plurality of light sources 54
disposed in the illumination device 50 may exhibit the same color
or may exhibit a combination of a plurality of colors.
The second lenticular lens sheet 52 is slidable with respect to the
first lenticular lens sheet 51. Light that is emitted from each
light source 54 is diffused in the direction of arrangement of the
cylindrical lenses 26 of the first lenticular lens sheet 51 (Y2
direction) to have a ring shape when passing through the first
lenticular lens sheet 51. The light emitted from each light source
54 is diffused in the direction of arrangement of the cylindrical
lenses 26 of the second lenticular lens sheet 52 (Y1 direction) to
have a line shape when passing through the second lenticular lens
sheet 52.
Accordingly, the light emitted from each light source 54 is
diffused in a direction orthogonal with respect to the longitudinal
direction of each cylindrical lens 26 when passing through the
first lenticular lens sheet 51 and when passing through the second
lenticular lens sheet 52. Thus, highly decorative illumination
light is achieved.
The second lenticular lens sheet 52 is slidable with respect to the
first lenticular lens sheet 51. Thus, the user can change the
direction of diffusion of the light by manually sliding the second
lenticular lens sheet 52.
While the second lenticular lens sheet 52 is manually slidable with
respect to the first lenticular lens sheet 51 in the example
illustrated in FIG. 11, the present invention is not limited
thereto. A movement mechanism (not illustrated) that electrically
moves the second lenticular lens sheet 52 may be disposed. In this
case, the drive unit 55 preferably operates the movement mechanism
in accordance with a control signal of the computer to slide the
second lenticular lens sheet 52 in accordance with the operating
state of the computer.
Fifth Embodiment
FIG. 12 illustrates an example in which a decorative device 60 of
the present invention is applied to an interior component of an
automobile 61 as an operating device. The decorative device 60 is
attached by being embedded in a part of the interior component. The
decorative device 60 includes the lenticular lens sheet 21, the
plurality of LED chips 24, and the substrate 25 of the decorative
cover 10 of the first embodiment. The image formation layer 41 of
the third embodiment is integrated with the lenticular lens sheet
21.
The decorative device 60 is attached to, for example, a steering
wheel 62, a door panel 63, and a dashboard 64 of the automobile 61.
The decorative device 60 has flexibility and thus, is attached in a
curved state in accordance with a curved surface of a part to which
the decorative device 60 is attached.
The drive unit 27 disposed on the substrate 25 is electrically
connected to a control unit of the automobile 61 through wiring not
illustrated. In a case where, for example, an engine is started,
the drive unit 27 outputs a light emission control signal that
causes the LED chips 24 to emit light.
The drive unit 27 changes a light emission state of each LED chip
24 based on the light emission control signal in a case where the
light emission control signal is sent from the control unit of the
automobile 61. The light emission state includes timings of light
emission and light non-emission, a light emission pattern, and the
like.
While the light emission state of each LED chip 24 is changed by
the light emission control signal sent from the control unit of the
automobile 61 in the fifth embodiment, the timings of light
emission and light non-emission, the light emission pattern, and
the like may be set by, for example, a car navigation device that
is attached to the automobile 61, and the light emission control
signal may be sent to the drive unit 27 based on the setting.
Alternatively, the light emission pattern and the like may be set
from a communication terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet
computer. The light emission pattern that is set in the drive unit
27 from the car navigation device or the communication terminal may
be changed in accordance with, for example, current time,
meteorological information such as weather and temperature, and a
music played on a car stereo of the automobile 61.
While each of the embodiments uses an LED as a light source, a
light source other than an LED may be used. The light source may
have variable color, and the color of the light source may be
changed based on the light emission control signal.
While the operating device to which the decorative device of the
present invention is applied is exemplified by a smartphone, an
automobile, and an illumination device in the embodiments, the
present invention is not limited thereto. The decorative device of
the present invention can be applied to operating devices such as a
computer, an audio device, and a camera.
EXPLANATION OF REFERENCES
10, 30, 40: decorative cover (decorative device) 11: smartphone
(operating device) 11A: front surface 11B: rear surface 12: display
and input unit 13: camera module 14: power source switch 15:
control unit 16: communication unit 17, 23: connection point 21:
lenticular lens sheet 21A: flat surface 22: outer frame 22a: cutout
24: LED chip 25: substrate 26: cylindrical lens 26A: convex shape
27: drive unit 31, 51: first lenticular lens sheet 31A: opening
portion 32, 52: second lenticular lens sheet 41: image formation
layer 50: illumination device (decorative device) 53: pedestal 54:
light source 55: drive unit 60: decorative device 61: automobile
(operating device) 62: steering wheel 63: door panel 64:
dashboard
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